Yes, you heard that right! Big John Bates is just putting the finishing touches on the new album “from the Bestiary to the Leathering Room” (Rookie/Frontman) and heading out on the road. Featuring cover art from Santiago Caruso (one of the artists behind the images in Pan’s Labyrinth) the 10 songs will be available on 180-gram vinyl and gatefold CD with a sweet bonus download.
In case you didn’t get the memo the 4-pc band now features a dark and dynamic cellist and the group are doing a few choice Canadian dates in April (Nelson, Canmore, Calgary) and the record release will be at the Hindenburg in Vancouver on May 1st – May Day to all you non-pagans.
May and June will see the band touring Europe and hitting all of their favourite stomping grounds so bring your big boots and get ready to make some noise! More info to come!
HEY there! Got yer Xmas gift right here!! BIG JOHN BATES is playing NYE at the Railway in Vancouver with Reverend Heathen Strangefellow & The Vaudeville Vagabonds plus our pals Devil In the Wood Shack. It’s like $15 advance, $20 at the door – you can’t find a wicked New Year’s for that price anywhere else. So unless you’re staying at home to watch your balls drop come on out and join us!
In another life he was singer and founding member of Canadian Thrash Metal band Annihilator, since then Big John Bates has played Blues, Garage, Americana, Billy, Trash – just flat-out Rock’n’Roll. And it seems he’s finally found his place.
Whether Big John Bates is with Brandy Bones Bates or with the burlesque show Voodoo Dollz it’s always a guarantee for wild, hot concerts and a real show. On the last tour Rookie Records released two brand-new songs on color, hand-pressed vinyl for the “Black Timber” 7″.
On the title track “Black Timber” Big John Bates sings about the passing of time, a beautiful song with the usually high quality we expect of him. On “Bitterroot” Brandy Bones Bates uses her vocal diversity to sing about life as an outsider. On this song Brandy’s voice is somewhere between fragility and melancholy; and this outsider expresses those feelings perfectly with tight, powerful vocals. Good songs, good musicians and beautiful presentation.
It’s been two years since we’ve had the band touring in North America but the time was right when our friends in White cowbell asked us to play with them for their 15th Anniversary tour (who could say no to Chainsaw Charlie?!). We’ve put together a stellar new set that’s gonna blow the door off a lotta rooms, hell, the Paceshifters from Holland are even opening from Vancouver to Winnipeg. Then we take off on our own and head south thru North Dakota, Montana and Washington – help us spread the word!
If you bought the new 7″ Black Timber Bitter Root you are eligible for a FREE download of Missionary Man! Just send an email to our office hombre @ frontmanrecords.net and he’ll hook you up. And if you got one of the “weird” pressings of the single just tell him about it and you’ll get another one in the mail. Proust!
